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Palma Longo, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor

Biography

Trained as an educational scientist from Columbia University, Dr. Longo’s expertise is in applying the new principles of learning to advance teaching in different academic environments. With a passion for research that expands a breadth of knowledge and experience in conceptualizing and designing a wide variety of quantitative and qualitative methodologies in the domains of medical education, basic science, clinical education and science education, the focus of her life's work on understanding cognition - student's thinking processes, is directed towards applying the cognitive neurosciences towards the development and testing of a neuroeducational theory of learning.

Dr. Longo’s long-standing educational philosophy is viewed from a learner-centered approach to instruction sculpted by her experiences inventing, enacting, and testing active learning pedagogy through the lens of cognitive integration. From this perspective Dr. Longo translates issues interfacing the link between theory and practice by affording faculty a more transformative pedagogy. The goal of creating these links is to inform a more efficient and productive integration of curriculum, student assessment with program evaluation.

Dr. Longo brings to UT Southwestern medical education a perspective that champions the development of active learning environments aligned with the assessment of competency benchmarks for higher order thinking during clinical and diagnostic reasoning.

Education

Undergraduate

St Bonaventure University (1969), Biology

Graduate School

Fairleigh Dickinson University (1976), Human Development

Graduate School

Columbia University (2001), Science Education

Research Interest

Cognitive Contributions of Colour to Learning

Complementary and Alternative Medicine - Biofield Research

Knowledge Networks and Cognition - Student's thinking processes

Neuroeducational theory of learning

The role of Knowledge Organization and Learning Behaviors in reasoning and decision making

Publications

Featured Publications

Improvement of Knowledge and Attitudes in Aging and Healthcare: Efficacy of an Integrative Undergraduate Geriatrics Education Program